The First Date
by JamiW
Summary: The first date of Lupo/Rubirosa.  This is actually backstory for a LOCI series of stories that I've written but you absolutely do not need to have read those to enjoy this.


**Lupo POV**

* * *

It's not that I hadn't noticed her.

Because I most definitely had.

From day one.

But I also knew that entertaining the notion would be about the most ridiculous thing I'd ever done.

And I've done some pretty outrageous things.

Besides, I had plenty of things on my mind to keep me from thinking about a woman.

Especially after that bit where I'd managed to entangle myself with a suspect.

That had been a humiliating and demoralizing situation, one in which I intended to never place myself again.

And then there was my sister-in-law, who used to be my girlfriend until she cheated on me with my brother and ended up marrying him. She'd started calling me again on a fairly regular basis under the guise of needing a hand around the house.

And yeah, she was a widow so I felt kind of sorry for her, but whenever I took the time to go over there, she made it pretty obvious that she wouldn't mind picking up where we'd left off.

Ten _years_ ago.

But I wasn't going down that path again.

Once bitten, twice shy.

And really, what kind of woman cheated on a man with his brother?

And I wasn't even going to get into what kind of man stole his brother's girlfriend.

That would be speaking ill of the dead and it was pointless.

The fact of the matter was that I just needed to stay away from her.

So lately, I'd been trying to keep a low profile.

No socializing.

No dating.

Sex only when it was absolutely necessary.

And to be honest, it hadn't been necessary lately. Not nearly as much as I would've thought anyway.

I'd discovered that it wasn't worth the effort of finding a willing partner, especially when you considered that most of the women I came into contact with on a daily basis were criminals.

And cops.

And lawyers.

Which brings me back to her.

Connie.

Because, as I mentioned, of _course_ I'd noticed her.

But there was no way that I was even going to consider attempting to pursue anything with her.

She was too…everything. Too educated. Too beautiful. Too sophisticated. Too clean.

And I was none of those things.

So I wasn't going to kid myself into thinking that I stood a snowball's chance in hell with her.

And I probably would've never strayed from the status quo.

But then one day when she came into the squad room and I would swear that she gave me a look.

Not just a _what do you have for me, Detective_ look, but a _I'm wondering what you look like under that suit_ kind of look.

I quickly glanced at Bernard to see if he noticed, but he didn't.

So I must have imagined it.

Of _course _I imagined it.

Women like her did not look at men like me. Not like that.

And then the next day I saw her at the courthouse.

"You shaved," she commented. "It looks nice."

She'd said it casually enough, but it blew my mind that she'd recognized the presence of, or _lack_ of as the case may be, whiskers on my face.

I wondered what else she'd noticed about me.

Because Bernard had shaved, too, but I didn't hear her say anything to him.

I was in a good mood for the rest of the day. And our guy was convicted, so that made it even better.

"Mike and I are going to stop and get a beer to celebrate," she told me later. "Why don't you and Bernard come by?"

Obviously she wasn't suggesting a date.

Not in any sense of the word.

But it was something.

And it started a whole chain of fantasies in my head.

Not just the x-rated fantasies, either, but ones where I came home from work and she was there waiting for me.

And yeah, okay, usually in those she wasn't wearing anything, but still…

Then there were the ones where she commented on my clean shaven face, only this time she ran her hand across my cheek when she said it.

I got to the point where I just really wanted her to touch me.

And I don't mean that I was obsessed with her or anything.

I mean, I did my job. I worked hard and I solved cases.

But when I came into contact with her, I often had inappropriate thoughts.

And when I was at home, off the clock, my imagination had free rein.

A month went by and as much as I enjoyed thinking about her, I never once considered asking her out.

I just knew that it would shatter the illusion because, without a doubt, she would turn me down.

Then one night, I left the precinct and there she was. Out on the sidewalk.

"Connie?" I called out to her.

"Oh, hey, Detective Lupo," she said with a smile. "I was coming to talk to you and Bernard about the Montero case, but then I realized that I left the file back at the office, so…"

"Montero? Didn't his trial start today?"

"It did, but then the defense requested a continuance. They filed a motion disputing the integrity of the search made on his property. I was going to see if you'd mind walking me through the details. I know it's late, but…"

"I don't mind," I said quickly. "Bernard's already gone, but I'll go back to your office with you if you want."

"Okay," she said, smiling brightly. "That would be great. Thanks."

So we'd walked back to her office and then we'd sat together in a conference room while I rehashed the scenario that had taken place when we'd executed the search warrant.

"It seems like you did everything right," she said when I finished. "And it's not that I doubted you or anything. I just…I had to ask."

"I know. It's fine. Cutter questions me all the time."

"Well, he would," she said a conspiratorial roll of her eyes.

Then she tucked the documents into her briefcase and got up from the chair.

I stood quickly, hyper-aware of the fact that it was after hours and we were in a mostly darkened office, just the two of us. I felt like all of my senses were focused on her.

"I guess we're good. Thanks for staying late with me," she said as she reached for her jacket. "I hope I didn't keep you from anything."

"Here," I offered, and I took the garment from her hands and held it out for her.

It was made of soft leather and as she put her arms into the sleeves, the silk of her blouse brushed against the backs of my fingers.

She was standing so close now that I could smell her, and not just the perfume, but more than that.

I would swear that I could smell her skin.

I let my hands linger on her shoulders longer than I should have, and when I realized my error, I jumped back from her immediately.

"Okay, well, I guess I'd better go. Let me know if you need…any more…you know, information," I said ineloquently, and then I grabbed my own jacket and headed for the elevator.

"Lupo!" she called out to me. "Wait! I'm going, too. You can walk me out."

"Okay," I agreed, although I was nearly hyperventilating as we rode the elevator.

What the hell was my problem? I am not this guy.

I've been with more women than I could count, most of whom had come after me.

_But never one quite like this_, I reminded myself.

But still.

I managed to get a grip on myself and carry on a trivial conversation as we went through the lobby and out of the front doors.

"I'll get you a cab," I told her.

"Which way are you headed? We can split one if you want."

The idea of sitting in the backseat of a car with her was both tantalizing and terrifying.

Would her leg brush up against mine?

What if I couldn't control my base reaction?

And it didn't matter that I was a man in my thirties who had been around the block several times.

There was something about her that made me feel like an awkward, inexperienced kid.

"Uh, no. I'd better not. I have a couple of stops to make first," I lied.

"Oh," she said. And she seemed disappointed. _Really_ disappointed.

And I suddenly, desperately wanted to make her happy.

I wanted to see her smile.

"Hey, um…maybe we…um…would you like to maybe get some dinner sometime?" I asked her.

I have no idea which part of my brain thought that asking her out was a good idea, but before I could fully castigate myself, there was that smile.

It lit up her whole face.

"Sure," she nodded. "I could do…maybe Friday?"

"Friday," I said. "That would be great. I'll pick you up around seven. Does that work?"

"It works great," she agreed. And then she got in the cab and she was gone.

And I was left with the great mystery of how in the world I had managed to get a date with Connie Rubirosa.

Not only that, but I said I'd take her to dinner.

In two days.

Where did a woman like her go?

I was going to have to do some research.

And get a hair cut. And maybe a new suit.

But as it turned out, I didn't have time for any of that.

In fact, I barely had time to take a shower.

Because after she got in the cab, I got a phone call.

Me and Bernard had caught a case.

I worked like a man possessed because there was no way in the world that I wanted to postpone my date with Connie.

But I also couldn't tell Bernard about it.

For starters, I knew that he'd laugh at me and ask me if I'd had to drug her or pay her to go out with me.

And also because it would be much less humiliating when she called it quits after one date.

"Are you okay, Lupes?" he asked me after I went ballistic on a suspect in an effort to get him to confess.

I mean, I didn't beat him up or anything, but I did get a little more intense than usual.

"Yeah, I'm fine," I insisted. "He just knows more than he's telling us."

"You think he's our guy?"

"Don't you?"

"I don't know. He didn't crack when you got up in his face."

"True," I admitted dejectedly. "But at the very least, he knows who did it. He was in that alley. We've got the pipe with his prints on it."

"Which he says he picked up when he stumbled across the body," Bernard reminded me.

"I'm just not buying it," I muttered.

I looked at the clock. It was four-thirty.

And Loo had already told us to keep running down leads until we had something solid.

There would be no five o'clock quitting time tonight.

Then the ME called and saved the day.

"I found a hair embedded in the wound on the back of your victim's head. It matches up to your suspect," Dr. Rodgers told me.

"Could it have been transferred when he found the body?" I asked as hope surged through me.

"Not a chance. There was a subsequent blow that buried the hair deeper into the wound."

"I love you, Doc," I told her enthusiastically. "When are we going to run away together?"

"I am too much woman for you, Detective," she teased. "Besides, I'm spoken for."

"You're breaking my heart," I replied. "Fax me that report when you get a minute."

I hung up with her and told Bernard what she had.

"Very nice, Lupes," he said. "Your gut was right. I guess you'll get to make your date after all."

"Date?"

"Go. I'll finish this up. It's all over but the crying now."

So I hustled out of the precinct after lying to my partner about the identity of my date.

"You wouldn't know her," I'd told him. "I just met her out on the sidewalk one night."

I took a cab home instead of the subway to save time, and then I took the dog for a quick walk which was actually more like a run.

When we got back, I hopped in the shower, but when I got out, I was suddenly stumped.

Normally, I would dress casual for a date.

But did she?

Or should I wear a suit?

I'd never gotten around to buying a new one, but I did have a few that looked nice.

And she apparently liked it when I was clean-shaven, so could I spare the extra time to run the blade over my face again, since I was now sporting a five o'clock shadow?

I was in a full-blown panic and I finally had to stop myself.

_Breathe, Lupo_.

It's a date.

She's just a woman.

_Just_.

Ha.

In the end, I split the difference on my attire.

Slacks with a button-down shirt that was open at the neck.

It was a warm evening, so I grabbed a sports coat, but just put it over my arm.

And then I pulled a tie from the rack and put it into the pocket of the jacket just in case she wanted to go somewhere that required a tie.

Because wouldn't _that _be embarrassing, to take her somewhere and then have to wear one provided by the maitre d.

I still had no idea where we were going, but I decided that I'd let her choose.

And I didn't shave.

It was either go as I was, or be late, and I really didn't want to be late.

I would just explain my situation to her. Surely she would understand.

I mean, this was Connie. Our paths had been crossing professionally for awhile now.

She'd seen me at my worst. She'd seen me on the stand, having to admit to sleeping with a suspect.

That thought caused my steps to falter as I crossed the sidewalk to the front of her building.

_She knew that when she accepted the date, Lupo_, I reminded myself.

So I took another deep breath and went up to her apartment. I'd gotten lucky by finding a place to park close to her building, so I had arrived with a minute to spare.

I glanced down at myself for the hundredth time and then knocked on her door.

She opened it almost immediately.

"Hi," she greeted warmly.

I watched her eyes as they traveled over me and I wondered what she was thinking.

Good? Bad? Ugly?

I couldn't tell for sure. And without a doubt, I couldn't remember a time when I'd been this nervous.

Hell, I'd lived in Karachi, working with counter-terrorism, and that felt like a cake walk compared to this.

"Let me get my jacket, and we can go," she said as I loomed in the doorway. I was painfully aware of the fact that I had yet to speak.

_You are blowing it_.

She grabbed her jacket and hesitated in front of me for a second, and I could almost hear her saying the words: _You know what? This was a mistake. I'm sorry_.

But she didn't say that.

In fact, she didn't say anything.

Instead, she dropped her coat onto the floor and wrapped her arms around me and kissed me.

Right there in her doorway.

For a brief moment, I was too stunned to do anything, but then instinct kicked in and I put one hand on the small of her back, pulling her up closer to me, and I slipped the other hand around to the back of her head, deepening the kiss.

She let out this little moan that sent my confidence soaring, and I stepped into her, taking us fully into the apartment.

I used my foot to kick the door closed behind us without taking my lips from hers.

I turned us around so that her back was to the door, and then it was my turn to groan my approval as she pulled my shirt from my slacks.

Once it was freed, she ran her hands underneath it so that I could feel her fingers against my bare skin. She moved them up to my shoulder blades and then brought them down again, this time lightly using her nails in a way that was pushing me to the brink.

I could so perfectly picture her doing that while I had her naked beneath me…and I had to stop thinking like that.

We were making out, not having sex.

Although that fact alone was blowing my mind.

_I was making out with Connie... _

And she was really good at it.

So I needed to just enjoy it and not try to rush ahead into anything more.

Although that thought barely worked its way through my brain when she moved her hands between us and started unbuttoning my shirt.

She made short work of it and then she shifted her focus to my belt, but I put my hands on hers to stop the motion.

We hadn't said a word since she first started kissing me because we hadn't stopped kissing.

I didn't know what she was thinking.

Because even in my wildest dreams, I hadn't pictured our date turning out quite like this.

Was she just trying to scratch an itch?

I mean, that was fine.

I'd scratch it for her.

And then at least I'd always have this memory to fuel my fantasies.

But I needed to know where we stood.

So after I stalled her from unbuckling my belt, I settled my hands on the hem of her shirt and then I paused.

I thought maybe we needed to slow things down.

But apparently she didn't agree.

She broke the kiss long enough to pull the garment over her head and then she wrapped her arms around me and leaned in to kiss me again.

"Hey," I said softly, while her lips hovered an inch from mine. "I…um…I…"

"I'm sorry," she said quickly, moving away slightly until I locked my arms around her back to keep her from retreating further. "I practically attacked you."

"I am perfectly fine with that," I assured her. "I just…I wasn't sure where...I mean...if we're going to stop, please tell me now."

She lowered her eyes for a moment, and I got the feeling that she was nervous.

_She_ was?

Nervous to be with _me_?

"I don't usually do this kind of thing," she said softly. And as she talked, she ran her hands over my chest in a way that had me biting the inside of my cheek. "It's just that…I've been thinking about you a lot, and when you got here, you looked so…cute, and I…"

"Sweetheart, believe me when I tell you that I am not complaining. And I hope I didn't ruin the moment by talking, I just wanted to be sure. I wanted you to be sure."

She brought her eyes up to mine again and for a moment, she just looked at me and I thought for sure that she was going to drop her hands, and put her shirt back on, and suggest that maybe we go on out for dinner.

And that would be okay, too.

Really.

"I'm sure," she said at last.

_Oh thank God_.

The words had barely left her lips before I brought my mouth down on hers again.

And this time, now that I knew her intent, I let myself go.

And so did she.

We tugged at each other's clothes until there was nothing left between us.

I still had her up against the door, and maybe that wasn't the best place for a first time, but it seemed like the perfect place at the moment, so I grabbed onto her hips as she put her arms around my neck and then I picked her up and drove into her.

It was much harder than I'd intended, but I couldn't hold back and she screamed out her approval, so I forced the worry from my brain and instead just focused on her.

Which angle changed the pitch of the sounds she was making, which rhythm made her dig her nails deeper into my back…I didn't let myself wonder if I'd ever get to do this again.

I didn't want to think about that.

Instead, I went about making it as good for her as I possibly could.

I held out as long as I could, but I was grateful when at last she threw her head back against the door and yelled out my name. After the initial shout, she continued to repeat my name over and over, in a contented hushed tone that was my undoing.

I kept a hold of her, leveraging her against the door for several long minutes. I had my forehead against the wood, and we were cheek to cheek as we both worked to catch our breath, and then at last, I let go of her so that she could stand on her own.

"I'm not sure if my legs will hold me," she admitted on a chuckle. "That was…not what I was expecting."

"Better or worse?" I asked quickly, not sure of the intent behind her statement. I mean, I thought I knew, but…

"You have to ask? Oh my God, Lupo. I had a feeling that you'd be good, but that was just…"

"Yeah, it was," I said, now unable to stop the grin.

I didn't question why she chose to call me Lupo. And honestly, I kind of liked that she called me that. No one ever had before, not in my personal life.

She smiled back at me, and I was suddenly desperately afraid that I was dreaming this whole thing.

Had I gotten home from work and walked Otto and then fallen asleep on the couch, and was I now, in reality, completely flaking on our date?

No. No way did a dream feel this good.

We looked at each other for another long minute and then I started to feel a little awkward.

Like maybe I was keeping her from something.

"You know, I should probably…" I trailed off because I couldn't make myself say the word _go_.

I didn't want to go.

I wanted to recuperate and have another round with her.

"If you say _go_, I'm going to have to hurt you. You promised me dinner, right?"

"Well, yeah," I agreed.

"Good. I was thinking that maybe we could just order in."

Then she kissed me again as she ran her hands down my back and over my butt.

"That sounds like a really good idea," I told her when she ended the kiss. "But, are you sure?"

"Am I sure that I want something to eat?"

"Are you sure that you want me to hang around. I mean, I don't want you to feel obligated."

"Did you think that I just invited you over here for sex?" she asked. "I'm trying not to be insulted by that."

"No," I said quickly. "I didn't mean that. I just…" I stopped and ran my hand over my face, searching desperately for the right words.

How could I explain to her that she was too good for me?

"I'm just saying…don't you usually date lawyers or something?"

"I've dated a few, actually. None of them ended well."

"So you decided to lower your standards and try out a cop?"

"Lower my standards?" she repeated in confusion. And then she shook her head. "No. Absolutely not. Lupo, I really like you. I think you're a nice guy, and I'd really like to get to know you better. That is, if you're interested."

"I'm interested," I assured her, doing my best to not sound pathetically over-eager.

"Good," she replied with a smile. "Then let's see where this thing goes."

For the night, where it went was that we ordered Chinese food.

And while we waited for it to be delivered, I made love to her on the living room floor.

And maybe it was too soon to call it making love, I don't know.

But that's what it felt like.

When the food came, I put on my pants to open the door and then as soon as the guy was gone, Connie asked me to take them back off.

Because she said that she really liked the way I looked naked.

So we sat on the floor together, unclothed and still sweaty from our last session, and we ate dinner and talked.

It was not at all how I imagined that our first date would be, but as far as I was concerned, it was perfect.

And I really couldn't wait to see where we went from here.

**THE END**


End file.
